Tag: NCAA Transfer Portal

Tennessee freshman wide receiver plans to enter NCAA transfer portal

A sixth Tennessee wide receiver intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal following the 2024 season.

Mike Matthews completed his freshman season at Tennessee in 2024. The 6-foot-1, 197-pound wide receiver appeared in 11 games for the Vols.

Matthews plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, according to On3.

He recorded seven receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns, while totaling 32 kick return yards.

Matthews totaled a season-high for receiving yards (35) against Kent State. His longest reception in 2024 was 25 yards versus UTEP.

Matthews is the sixth Tennessee wide receiver with intentions to enter the NCAA transfer portal following the College Football Playoff.

Tennessee wide receivers Kaleb Webb, Chas Nimrod, Nathan Leacock, Nate Spillman and Squirrel White also entered the NCAA transfer portal following the regular season.

The Vols finished the 2024 football season with a 10-3 (6-2 SEC) record.

Mike Matthews. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Former Texas Longhorns 5-star WR heads to Big Ten through the Transfer Portal

Former Texas Wide Receiver set to join rival BIG 10 School.

Former Texas Longhorn wide receiver Johntay Cook II has found a new home via the NCAA transfer portal. Cook committed to the Washington Huskies, a program familiar to Longhorn fans as the Longhorns have faced the Huskies twice in the post-season in the last two years. Once in the Sugar Bowl CFP last year and a year prior in the Alamo Bowl, both resulting in losses for Texas.

Cook, a sophomore, played in 19 games over two seasons at Texas, earning a reputation as a dynamic receiver with a knack for making key plays. Cook opened the 2024 season with three receptions for 56 yards against Colorado State. He followed up with standout performances, including a two-touchdown game against UTSA. In that matchup, Cook showcased his versatility by catching a 19-yard touchdown from Quinn Ewers in the first quarter and a 12-yard score from Arch Manning in the fourth quarter. His contributions also included key catches against Michigan, ULM, and Mississippi State, finishing the season with 137 receiving yards.

Ahead of the season Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian spoke about Cook’s talent:

“Johntay can play any position on the field,” Sarkisian said. “I think that’s where he creates a lot of value for himself. He’s a sure-handed guy that understands our offense and has a really good feel for what we’re doing.

A star at DeSoto High School, Cook was an All-America honoree and a key member of DeSoto’s 6A Division 2 state championship team in 2022. Over his final three seasons, he compiled 2,965 receiving yards and 50 touchdowns. His senior year saw him rack up 1,469 yards and 22 touchdowns on 84 receptions, earning recognition as one of the top recruits in Texas.

Cook’s high school accolades included participation in the 2023 Under Armour All-America Game and rankings as high as No. 5 among wide receivers nationally by multiple recruiting outlets. 

Fifth Tennessee wide receiver to transfer following 2024 season

A fifth Tennessee football wide receiver will transfer following the 2024 season.

Josh Heupel’s fourth season as Tennessee’s coach came to an end on Dec. 21 in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Ohio State (11-2, 7-2 Big Ten) defeated Tennessee (10-3, 6-2 SEC), 42-17, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

According to 247Sports, junior wide receiver Squirrel White became the fifth Tennessee wide receiver to enter the NCAA transfer portal following the regular season.

The 5-foot-10, 167-pound wide receiver appeared in 38 games for the Vols across three seasons (2022-24). He recorded 131 receptions for 1,665 yards and six touchdowns.

White came to Tennessee from Clay-Chalkville High School in Pinson, Alabama.

Tennessee wide receivers Kaleb Webb, Chas Nimrod, Nathan Leacock and Nate Spillman also entered the NCAA transfer portal following the regular season.

PHOTOS: Tennessee at Ohio State in College Football Playoff

Squirrel White. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Tennessee quarterback enters transfer portal after College Football Playoff

Tennessee quarterback enters the NCAA transfer portal following the College Football Playoff.

Tennessee redshirt senior quarterback Gaston Moore entered the NCAA transfer portal, according to 247Sports.

The 6-foot-2, 212-pound quarterback appeared in six games for the Vols in 2024. He completed 16-of-27 passing attempts for 201 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Moore transferred from UCF to Tennessee ahead of the 2021 season. He redshirted in 2020 under then-UCF head coach Josh Heupel.

Moore is from Hilton Head High School in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

The signal-caller played for head coach BJ Payne at Hilton Head. Payne discussed Moore transferring to Tennessee with Vols Wire in July 2021.

In July 2021, Heupel was entering his first season as the Vols’ head coach, while Alex Golesh was Tennessee’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

“He was originally recruited by Golesh at Iowa State as a PWO,” Payne said of Moore. “Golesh went to UCF, and that is how the UCF thing happened.”

Golesh served as Iowa State’s tight ends coach from 2016-19 and UCF’s co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach in 2020 before arriving with Heupel at Tennessee.

Golesh has served as head coach at USF since 2023, compiling a 14-12 record.

PHOTOS: Ohio State defeats Tennessee at Ohio Stadium

Gaston Moore. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Penn State adds second wide receiver commit from transfer portal with Devonte Ross

Penn State picked up a commitment out of the transfer portal from a 1,000-yard wide receiver.

Penn State is working to improve the depth at the wide receiver position for the 2025 season by attacking the transfer portal. Already with one wide receiver commitment out of the transfer portal, Penn State now has a second receiver coming to Happy Valley. Former Troy wide receiver Devonte Ross has committed to Penn State and is the third transfer portal addition for the Nittany Lions overall so far.

Ross is coming off a season with 1,043 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns with Troy. Ross visited Penn State earlier this month after officially entering the transfer portal. Ross has played three seasons with Troy so he will have two years of eligibility remaining once he arrives in State College, although it is expected he may only play one more year of college football rather than take advantage of a redshirt season.

Ross is a 5′-11″ receiver who brings speed to the table. That could make him a good deep threat for Penn State, which will return starting quarterback Drew Allar in 2025.

Penn State previously received a commitment from former USC wide receiver Kyron Hudson from the transfer portal. Penn State also picked up a commitment from former Texas A&M defensive end Enai White.

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Iowa OT transfer portal target commits to fellow Big Ten foe

One of Iowa’s OT transfer portal targets is off the board and headed to a fellow Big Ten foe.

The Iowa Hawkeyes‘ primary offensive tackle target in the transfer portal is headed to another Big Ten program instead.

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman broke the news that former Rice offensive tackle Ethan Onianwa had committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Tuesday morning.

Onianwa took a visit to Iowa after entering the transfer portal on Dec. 6. In Onianwa’s first season playing left tackle, the 6-foot-6, 345 pound offensive tackle allowed just one sack in 294 pass-blocking snaps and only two quarterback hurries during the 2024 campaign.

Onianwa also visited Florida State and Texas A&M before committing to the Buckeyes.

Iowa will be replacing longtime starting left tackle Mason Richman following the Hawkeyes’ bowl date versus Missouri. Richman started all 12 games for Iowa at left tackle this season and has started 51 games over the last four seasons.

The Hawkeyes are expected to return Gennings Dunker who started 10 games in 2024 at right tackle. Dunker was a second-team All-Big Ten choice by the league’s coaches and the 6-foot-5, 316 pound tackle has started 23 games for Iowa over the past two seasons.

Trevor Lauck could be an in-house name to watch for the Hawkeyes at tackle in 2025. The 6-foot-5, 302 pound redshirt freshman was a blue-chip signee for Iowa in the 2023 class according to Rivals.

Iowa has picked up transfer portal commitments from former Auburn quarterback Hank Brown and from former Central Michigan defensive tackle Jordan Pace.

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Iowa football among top three destinations for coveted transfer portal WR

Iowa football is among the top three choices for a coveted transfer portal WR.

After welcoming in Sam Phillips over the weekend for a visit, Iowa is one of the final choices for the former Chattanooga Mocs wide receiver.

The 5-foot-9, 185-pound redshirt junior from Cartersville, Ga, entered the transfer portal on Dec. 17 after an impressive 2024 campaign that saw him finish with 49 catches for three touchdowns and a career-high 803 yards. His performance also earned him first-team all-conference honors by the Southern Conference.

Throughout his three years with Chattanooga, Phillips recorded 153 receptions for 2,088 yards and nine touchdowns.

In addition to Iowa, Phillips’ agent reported to On3’s Pete Nakos on Monday that his top three choices out of the transfer portal also included Virginia Tech and Memphis.

For Iowa, securing a commitment from a proven wide receiver has been a point of emphasis out of the transfer portal. The right fit could significantly improve offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s ability to move the ball down the field, especially with the Hawkeyes recently bringing in transfer quarterback Hank Brown from Auburn.

Phillips would be a strong favorite to start alongside Jacob Gill and Seth Anderson next fall if he chose the Hawkeyes.

Time will tell where the redshirt junior wide receiver will elect to continue his collegiate career, but Iowa hopes that its passionate fanbase and proven track record of developing NFL-ready talent will be enough to lure him to Iowa City.

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Iowa football transfer QB target spurns Hawkeyes

Iowa loses out on a prized transfer portal quarterback to an SEC program.

While Iowa football was one of the finalists in his transfer portal recruitment, former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula committed to the Missouri Tigers on Sunday.

Pribula visited Iowa last week and the 6-foot-2, 207 pound signal-caller was considered a top priority for first-year Hawkeye offensive coordinator Tim Lester and Iowa in their transfer portal pursuits.

Though Pribula also visited Ole Miss over the weekend, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Pribula chose Missouri over Iowa. Pribula also visited UCF after his entrance into the transfer portal.

Through his 24 games played through two collegiate seasons with the Nittany Lions, Pribula completed 37-of-56 passes (66.1%) for 424 yards, nine touchdowns, and a lone interception. Pribula also carried 94 times for 571 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.

When Penn State starter Drew Allar exited with an injury against Wisconsin on Oct. 26, Pribula directed a pair of second-half touchdown drives to help the Nittany Lions rally over the Badgers in an eventual 28-13 victory.

Pribula completed 11-of-13 passes with one touchdown and also carried six times for 28 yards in that win over Wisconsin.

A member of Penn State’s 2022 signing class, 247Sports ranked Pribula as the nation’s No. 27 quarterback and as the No. 14 player from Pennsylvania at that time.

Since his transfer portal announcement on Dec. 15 via social media, 247Sports rated Pribula as a three-star transfer and as its No. 12 quarterback and No. 86 player overall.

While Iowa has already inked former Auburn quarterback Hank Brown, the Hawkeyes would have loved to have added the dual-threat abilities of Pribula to a quarterback room that also features Brendan Sullivan and Jackson Stratton.

Ironically, the Hawkeyes play the Tigers in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl from Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 30 at 1:30 p.m. CT.

The game is set to be televised on ESPN and will also be available on the Hawkeyes Radio Network.

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Coach Lincoln Riley addresses USC players transferring before bowl game versus Texas A&M

“Every school has a budget, this is what we got to spend and you’ve gotta decide. It’s tough because we’re not completely professional.”

Due to the NCAA Transfer Portal, Texas A&M will be playing an undermanned USC football team in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley was asked by the media on Thursday about if he felt a lot of those recent decisions had been influenced by NIL money.

“Yeah, they have on both sides. Every school, you have a budget, this is what we got to spend and you’ve gotta decide. It’s tough because we’re not completely professional,” Riley explained. “When a lot of these guys were signed, it wasn’t in a professional manner. It was sitting in their living rooms, relationships, program, academics, the development, all those things. Now, all of a sudden, it’s shifted midstream.

“That’s what’s made it tough on everybody involved right now. Players, coaches, schools, everybody, because a lot of these guys were brought in under a different system. Now that’s changed. Now there’s a financial component to every decision that we make and every decision that a player makes.”

The Aggies (8-4) will play USC (6-6) at Allegiant Stadium on Dec. 27 at 9:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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Iowa transfer portal target chooses SEC program instead

One of Iowa football’s targets out of the transfer portal landed with an SEC program instead.

One of the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ targets in the NCAA transfer portal chose an SEC program instead.

Though he visited Iowa alongside new Hawkeye quarterback Hank Brown, defensive end Langden Kitchen announced his commitment to the Missouri Tigers.

Kitchen visited Iowa City and took in the Cy-Hawk Series between Iowa and No. 3 Iowa State on Dec. 12.

Ultimately though, the Northwest Missouri State transfer chose to stay close to home with the Missouri Tigers.

A native of Huntsville, Missouri, Kitchen totaled 21 tackles, 8 1/2 tackles for loss and 5 1/2 sacks in 11 games this past season with the Bearcats.

The 6-foot-7, 270-pound defensive end chose Missouri over offers from Iowa, Kansas and Wisconsin.

Iowa will have to turn its attention elsewhere if it wants transfer portal help on the edge of its defensive line for 2025.

Senior defensive end Deontae Craig departs the program after a 2024 campaign in which he tallied 38 tackles, six quarterback hurries, 2 1/2 tackles for loss and one sack.

Ethan Hurkett recently announced he is returning to Iowa to use one final season of eligibility. Hurkett, an Iowa native from Cedar Rapids, came alive for Iowa this season. He registered 55 total tackles, 11 1/2 tackles for loss, 6 1/2 sacks and three forced fumbles.

Brian Allen and Max Llewellyn are two other Iowa edge returnees who  combined for 37 tackles, 12 1/2 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hurries and 8 1/2 sacks.

The Hawkeyes also landed five-star defensive end Iose Epenesa in their 2025 signing class.

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